Greek Myths and English Language Essay

wind Do you know Achilles Heel? Its an allusion from classic myths. Instances like this be not operose to find in position language. They argon curt and vivid because of Greek myths and romances behind them. on that pointfore, they enjoy popular use. entirely these nomenclature and phrases are peculiar to the native culture and language, they appear exotic to go forthside learners. So lets share some words and idioms which are relevant to Greek myths in view of knowing the ins and outs of them and beneathstanding how to harbour them. In the meanwhile, they can help you understand position history and side of meat culture more thoroughly and deep and taste the wisdom and belief of the English people.Key words relationship, Greek myths, English language, English idioms erstwhile the Republican supporter made comments on Clintons scandal, A misbehaving death chair is regarded as a governments Achilles hound dog and is expected to resign.What is Achilles heel? If you dont know it, you will not understand the substance of the supporters comments. The idiom means the weak or under attack(predicate) point of a person, organization and country, etc. which comes from Greek myths. The story is round Achilles, hotshot of the Greek heroes in the Iliad. When he was a child, he was interpreted by his stimulate Thetis and dipped in the river Styx to make him invulnerable. The water serve every part of his body expect the heel in his mothers hand. It was precisely at his vulnerable point that Achilles was later killed in Trojan battle.Greek mythology is a set of legends about the gods, heroes, natural events and universal history of Hellenic civilization. The myths of Greece mostly come from Hellenic literature such(prenominal) as Homers Iliad, Hesiods Theogony and Sophocles drama. From the Renaissance to now, Greek Myths is one of their required courses when the English people receive classical education. These stories and myths are so enjoyable that they impress themselves upon the English. Therefore the myths of Greece become the abundant supply of English language.Lets take Europe for instance. Sometimes it is alike called Europa, which before comes from Greek Mythology. In it, Europa is a princess who is abducted and carried off by a clean-living bull to Crete, the cradle of Hellenic civilization. And the bull is actually Zeus, nance of the Gods. In the same way, Paris is a persons name in like manner from Greek myths. Paris is the son of the business leader of Troy. These twain are pasture names. And the main characters from Greek mythology also appear in everyday speech.For instance, a huge or heroic task is said to herculean. This is in reward to the Greek mythological hero Hercules. And when you talk about a view as of maps, atlas will occur to you. It is named after(prenominal) Atlas, a titan who back up the heavens on his shoulders. Heres one you are credibly familiar with it. Its the word promethean which describes a daringly creative or defiantly original act, because of the Titan Prometheus, who defied the wrath of Zeus and stole drop in order to benefit humankind. And another word you may withdraw used before without realizing your debt to Greek mythology. The word panic comes from junk, the God of shepherds. Pan was always considered to be the cause of the sudden fear especially in lonely places. Thats why its called panic.Then more management will be paid to the relationship between Greek myths and English idioms. Idioms consist of set phrases and short sentences, which are loaded with the native cultures and ideas. Therefore, thither are a great deal of idioms are relevant to the myths of Greece. And these idioms are not easy to understand from its literal meanings, for example, Greek gift. Does it mean a gift made in Greece? Of course not, it symbolizes a dangerous gift. But as they are colourful, blunt, expressive and impressive, they form an important part of the Englis h vocabulary and are now used in different situations. So I will share some of them with you in view of big(a) you the background of them.As defined by famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, Oedipus complex is the unconscious confide of a young child for sexual intercourse with the arouse of the opposite sex, especially between boys and their mothers.The source of this complex is from the Greek legend of queer Oedipus. Oedipus was the son of King Laius of Thebes, a city in Greece. There was a Apollos vaticinator predicted that he would killed his father and marry his mother. So when he was born his father Laius bound his feet together and had exposed him on a lonely mountaintop where it must soon starve. Then the poor baby was rescued by a shepherd and raised by Polybus, King of Corinth. And he was called Oedipus. Years later, Oedipus, too, like Laius, thought to make it impossible for the oracle to come true and resolved never to see Polybus. But on his journey he unwittingly kill ed King Laius with whom he quarreled.He arrived at Thebes shortly thereafter and saved the city from the ravages of the Sphinx. He was proclaimed king in Laius stead, and he took the dead kings widow, Jocasta, as his sustain wife. After several years a terrible plague infatuated Thebes. The Apollo declared that the plague would be stayed upon one condition whoever had murdered King Laius must be punished. In the course of his investigation, Oedipus discovered that he himself was the killer whale and that Laius had been his real father. Finally he couldnt act against the decrees of fate. In his discouragement at this discovery, Oedipus blinded himself.Girls have a similar sexual desire for the father which is repressed in analogous fashion and is called Electra complex. It also comes from Greek mythology. Electra is the daughter of Agamemnon, the king who led the Greeks against Troy in the Trojan War. To curb favorable winds for the Greek fleet sailing to Troy, Agamemnon sacrifi ced his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis and so came under a curse. After he returned home victorious, he was murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover. To avenge his fathers death, Electra helped her brother kill their mother and her lover.The allusion also comes from the Greek legend of King Oedipus. The Sphinx is winged monster having the head and breasts of a woman and body of a lion. She lay in wait for the wayfarers on the roads to Thebes and whoever she seized she put a riddle to, telling him if he could resultant it, she would let him go. No one could, and the horrible creature devoured man after man until the city was in a state of siege. And at that time, Oedipus perceive what was happening in Thebes in his lonely wanderings.He was a homeless, friendless man to whom life meant little and he determined to seek the Sphinx out and try to solve the riddle. What creature, the Sphinx asked him, goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, on three in the evening? Man, answered Oedipus. In childishness he creeps on hands and feet in manhood he walks erect in old age he helps himself with a staff. It was the the right way answer. The Sphinx, inexplicable, but most fortunately, killed herself. The Thebans were saved. It is so called Sphinxs riddle which means difficult problems. And Sphinx is also used to describe an enigmatic person. The following are a few examples in actual uses.